Scores of people gathered along roadsides to greet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ranchi on Tuesday evening. 

The people, men, women and children had gathered along the 10- km long roadsides from Birsa Munda airport to the Raj Bhawan. Many of them waved hands as cavalcade of PM Modi moved on the road. 

At Argoda Chowk, the BJP workers led by their party MP Sanjay Seth burnt crackers even before arrival of the PM Modi. 

At Harmu Chowk, Kishore Ganj Chowk and Ratu road Chowk, cultural programmes were organised to welcome the PM Narendra Modi.

Among top functionaries of the state government included Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan, Union Minister Arjun Munda, Ex-CM and BJP state unit chief Babulal Marandi and Chief Minister Hemant Soren. Soren played the role of a host. 

He not only greeted PM Modi at the airport but accompanied him in his official programme. As per the schedule, Soren will also accompany PM Modi when he visits the Birsa Munda museum in Ranchi, before leaving for Ulihatu, the birthplace of Birsa Munda, tomorrow. 

He will also share a dais with the prime minister in Khunti where he is scheduled to launch Rs 24,000 crore schemes for the holistic development of over 7 lakh families of ‘particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTG)’ in the country. Soren will also address the public meeting for 10 minutes ahead of Modi in Khunti. 

Notably, the Jharkhand Government has put up hoardings welcoming the prime minister en route to the Raj Bhawan from the airport and also to the Birsa Munda museum. Besides, the chief minister has deployed senior bureaucrats to monitor all the venues to be visited by the prime minister during his two-day stay.  

Chief Secretary Sukhdev Singh held a meeting with top officials for two hours at the Project Building on Diwali day to take stock of the preparations. But then, the red carpet rolled out for Modi by Hemant Soren has taken everyone by surprise. 

For, Soren, embroiled in corruption cases, happens to be a key member of the I.N.D.I.A. alliance and running the government with the support of Congress and the RJD. Besides, he has been a vocal critic of the Central government led by Modi, alleging it harassed him for being an Adivasi CM by misusing the ED/CBI.  

Meanwhile, Modi is scheduled to launch a Rs 24,000-crore scheme aimed at the holistic development of ‘particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTG)’ at a programme in Khunti after paying homage to tribal icon Bhagwan Birsa Munda on his birth anniversary — observed as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’ since 2021. 

Modi will be the first PM to visit Munda’s birthplace Ulihatu. 

Modi will also launch the ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’ to ensure saturation of flagship government schemes. The launch of the ‘PM PVTG Mission’ which was announced in the budget of 2023-24 is being cited as a big step towards the empowerment of these tribal groups. 

There are 75 PVTGs in 18 states and Union territories living in 22,544 villages (220 districts) having a population of around 28 lakhs. The ‘Sankalp Yatra’ will focus on reaching out to people and creating awareness, providing benefits of welfare schemes and enrolment of potential beneficiaries. 

The yatra will start from districts with a significant tribal population and by January 25 cover all districts across the country. All the governors and chief ministers are supposed to be connected online for flagging off the yatra simultaneously. 

The PMO statement said Modi will also release the 15th installment of PM-KISAN (about Rs 18,000 crores) to more than eight crore beneficiaries and inaugurate, dedicate, and lay the foundation stone of projects worth around Rs 7,200 crore in the state across multiple sectors including rail, road, education, coal, petroleum and natural gas. 

Further, the achievement of 100% of railway electrification in Jharkhand will also be dedicated to the nation by the PM, it added.